MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BRANCH CIVIL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT No. CAV/ACC/15/08 DRAFT FINAL REPORT ON THE ACCIDENT TO CESSNA U206F AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION 5Y-AOO WHICH OCCURRED IN THE SADDLE BETWEEN THE KIBO AND MAWENZI PEAKS OF MOUNT KILIMANJARO, MOSHI, TANZANIA 1 TANZANIA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BRANCH Ministry of Infrastructure Development Civil Aircraft Accident No. : CAV/ACC/15/08. Aircraft Type: Cessna U206F. Nationality And Reg. Marks: 5Y-AOO Operator: Luka Safari Ltd P.O. Box 236 Mtito Andei 90128 Kenya. Crew: 1 - Seriously injured. Passengers: 4 - Killed. Place Of Accident: The saddle between the two peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Latitude: S 030 04.799’ Longitude: E 0370 25.659’ Elevation: 14,339 feet Date: 8 November 2008. Time 0700 hours (Approximately). ALL TIMES UTC SYNOPSIS On 8 November 2008 at 0640 hours the aircraft took off from Kampi ya Kanzi Airstrip, Kenya for a sightseeing VFR flight along the line of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was carrying one pilot and a party of four tourists. The pilot intended to fly to Loitokitok, proceeding to Amboseli before returning to Kampi ya Kanzi. According to the pilot, the take off was normal and the aircraft climbed to 12,500 feet. Whilst cruising at this altitude alongside Mount Kilimanjaro, the aircraft was caught in a violent gust that initially pushed it upwards and towards the mountain. As he tried to steer the aircraft away from the mountain, he realized that the airspeed had decayed to 40 kt, indicating an imminent stall. He decided to dive in order to gain air speed. As he did so the VSI indicated a rate of sink of 2,000 feet per minute while the airspeed remained at 40 kt. Visibility was poor and the pilot did not see the ground till impact. The pilot survived with a broken leg and a broken lower jaw but all the four passengers sustained fatal injuries. There was no fire but the aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact with the terrain. The report concludes that the aircraft probably crashed as a result of the pilot losing control. Control was lost when strong winds caused a sudden gain in altitude followed by a rapid but uncontrolled descent 2 1. FACTUAL INFORMATION 1.1 History of the flight The aircraft was operating a company charter flight to carry four Italian tourists for a scenic flight along the line of Kilimanjaro Mountain and the Amboseli National Park. It was flying under visual flight rules. 5Y-AOO took off from the operator’s camp (Kampi ya Kanzi) in southern Kenya and was airborne at 0640 hours (9:40 am local time). The flight was expected to last 45 minutes. When the aircraft failed to arrive at Kampi ya Kanzi Airstrip at the expected time, the operator thought that it had landed at one of the airstrips in the area because of the bad weather that had set in during the time when it was airborne. When all the airstrips in the area were contacted and the aircraft was not located, search and rescue operation was initiated by the operator. It was not until 0930 hours that the operator was informed about the accident by the Nairobi Area Control Centre. At about 0700 hours on the morning of 8 November 2008 some tourists who were on the slopes of the Kibo wing of Mount Kilimanjaro observed a light aircraft descending towards the saddle between the two peaks of the mountain. The aircraft looked as if it was going to land. Moments later, they saw it crashing. They alerted a nearby camp that is owned by the Tanzania National Parks. When rescue parties from the camp arrived at the crash site, they found the pilot lying on the ground outside the wreckage. He was unconscious. The four passengers were still inside the wreckage but there was no indication of life. There was no fire but the aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact with the ground. The pilot was taken to KCMC Hospital in Moshi where he made a fast recovery. His left leg was broken as well as his lower jaw. The four bodies of the passengers were extricated from the wreckage and were transported to Moshi on the following day. 3 The pilot himself testified that takeoff from Kampi ya Kanzi airstrip was normal. He intended to fly along the line of Mount Kilimanjaro from Kampi ya Kanzi in the Chyulu Hills to Loitokitok and then to cruise along the line of Mount Kilimanjaro. He thereafter was to proceed to Amboseli national Park for the tourists to see elephants before flying back to the airstrip. His cruising altitude along the line of the mountain was 12,500 feet. The passengers were Italian tourists on holiday at the camp. They wanted to see and photograph the Mountain and do the scenic tour before leaving for Italy via Nairobi. The flight to Nairobi was due to takeoff at around 0730 hours. Another aircraft was waiting for them at Kampi ya Kanzi. Whilst cruising at 12,500 feet alongside Mount Kilimanjaro, the aircraft was caught in a violent gust that initially pushed it upwards at 2,500 feet per minute and towards the mountain. As the pilot tried to steer the aircraft away from the mountain, he realized that the airspeed had decayed to 40 kt, indicating an imminent stall. He decided to dive in order to gain air speed. As he did so the VSI indicated a rate of sink of 2,000 feet per minute while the airspeed remained at 40 kt. He selected 100 of flaps and then full flaps whilst applying full power to no avail. Visibility was poor and the pilot did not see the terrain till impact. 1.1 Injuries to persons Injuries Crew Passengers Others Fatal - 4 - Serious 1 - - None - - N/A 1.3 Damage to the aircraft The aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact with the terrain. 1.4 Other damage There was no third party damage. 1.5 Personnel information The pilot Age: 38 years. License: Kenya Commercial Pilot’s License. Last medical examination: 16 May 2008. Total flying experience: 1,800 hours. Total experience on the type: 1,200 hours. Aircraft ratings: Endorsed for Cessna 206, PA28. 1.6 Aircraft information The aircraft, a Cessna U206F serial number 206-01710 powered by one Continental IO 520F- 73B engine, was manufactured by the Cessna aircraft Company at Wichita, Kansas, USA in 1971. 4 Ownership History The aircraft arrived in Kenya in 1971 and was registered in the name of Safari Air Ltd, P.O. Box 41951 Nairobi, Kenya. A Certificate of Registration No. 692 was issued on 10 November 1971. The subsequent ownership was as follows: Date Owner Address 21 August 1972 Gailey and Roberts Ltd. P.O. Box 30067 Nairobi 3 July 1976 Kelvin Air Services. P.O. Box 30750 Nairobi 13 February 1979 George Forno. P.O. Box 20442 Nairobi 6 December 1988 Brian Shepard. P.O. Box 42730 Nairobi 1 November 1994 Michael Vladmir Nicholas P.O. Box 42730 Nairobi Seton. 28 August 2001 Luka Safari Ltd. P.O. Box 236-90128 Mtito Andei, Kenya Airworthiness A Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) No. 682 was issued on 29 November 1971. The C of A has since been kept current through periodic renewals. By the time of the accident the C of A was valid till 31 October 2009. By the time of the accident the aircraft had flown a total of 7,982 hours since new and the engine had done 852 hours since overhaul. 1.6.1 Weight and balance The estimation of the aircraft mass at the time of takeoff was based on the fuel endurance of 03:00 hours which translate to 262 lb. There were three male persons estimated at 80 kg each and two female passengers at 75 kg each. The estimate for the total mass of the 5 persons on board the aircraft was therefore 390 kg or 860 lb. The last aircraft weighing report gives the empty weight as 2170 lb. The takeoff mass was therefore estimated as follows: Mass (lb) Arm (in) Moment (lb-in) Aircraft empty mass 2170 34.5 72657.0 Fuel (165 litres) 262 47.9 12549.8 Pilot and passenger (Front row) 350 37.0 12950.0 Centre passengers 340 70.0 23800.0 Aft passenger 120 100.0 12000.0 Cargo pack 0 127.0 0.0 Estimated takeoff mass 3242 41.3 133956.8 Maximum allowed takeoff mass 3600 C of G limits & maximums are: @2500lbs or less +33 to 49.8 inches @3600lbs +42.5 to 49.7 inches 5 Maximum allowed takeoff mass: 3600lbs 1.7 The weather There is no weather station at Kampi ya Kanzi. The owner of the camp, who is also a pilot, said that they obtain METAR weather information on the internet. During the inspector’s visit, he demonstrated how to obtain the Metar weather report for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The owner of the camp (Kampi ya Kanzi) said that for flights to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta and Wilson airports, the destination weather is obtained by contacting the actual destination using the company satellite phone. The actual weather at the time of take off from Kampi ya Kanzi is obtained by physical observation. The en-route weather is normally obtained by contacting aircraft already in the air. At the time of takeoff from the airstrip it was a clear day with scattered clouds. The forecast for the general area was that of a clear morning with scattered cloud followed by showers later on during the day.